In an interview with Hatewatch, Christopher displays ignorance and surprise about the duties of a county sheriff while unloading on Sussex “old boy network” out to connive with the state government to upend the Constitution.

He didn’t understand the job of Sussex County Sheriff when he took it:

“You think that I became a sheriff thinking that I have no power?” he asked Hatewatch. “I didn’t come in here thinking that I had no power of arrest.”

He thinks his divine duty, and his real job description involves protecting people from the State Police and FBI:

“The people fear a police state,” Christopher said. “When you erase the lines of sovereignty in the county, you open the door and basically deliver to the agenda itself the ability for the federal government to come in and basically take over.

He is convinced that that powers of the county sheriff supersede all other law enforcement officials:

If you have a sheriff that stands against tyranny in each of their counties, if he’s the chief law enforcement officer like he’s supposed to be, then he can block some of those enforcement efforts that the federal government or the state government mandates that may be unconstitutional. He can say no.”

Christopher believes that Sussex county’s government, the state government and the federal government have been radicalized, are acting capriciously and have no standing:

“The same thing that you fear out of the militia-type people is the same thing that I fear out of the good-old-boy network,” he said. “I see that we have an encroaching government that is making laws willy-nilly.”

The county sheriff is the last line of defense against illegitimate governments:

“You either have freedom or you don’t have freedom, and if you tolerate laws that are gonna close in on your face, and tell you when to breathe and when not to breathe, that’s not freedom, that’s tyranny. And that’s what I’m standing here to defend. I’m trying to close the door and make it a little more difficult for the federal government or the state government to reach in and be intrusive into our lives,” he said.

The Sheriff’s office is prepping for an all out showdown between good and evil:

“The people that don’t line up with this philosophy are the ones that think they’re safe from an intrusive federal government. If you think for one moment that the federal government would not try to run our lives in this country from Washington, D.C., you’re wrong. They’re going to do that. They’re going to run roughshod over top of us if we let this happen.”

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I’m trying to make sense of his replies, which seem to be that he has the power as Sheriff to arrest tyrants and to veto legislation made “willy nilly”, and to refuse to enforce federal law and/or arrest federal law enforcement authorities who attempt to enforce federal law.

My suggestion is that he enlist in a branch of the armed forces (this would take care of the ‘fighting tyrants’ issue, and run for State and Federal legislatures, thereby taking care of the ‘willy nilly’ laws.

We MUST get a procedure for removing elected officials from office passed by the General Assembly. If we hurry, they can pass a Constitutional solution before July, then again in January, giving us a way to oust craphounds like this guy without being forced to wait for the next election.

The first is that there is ambiguity regarding the term “conservator of the peace” that should be cured by the GA and then reviewed (if necessary) by the supremes. Our system of laws encounter this ambiguity all the time and there are clear methods to effect rememdy.

The second is that it is clear that the voters make mistakes in their choices and that the state needs a method to rectify those mistakes be it through a recall, GA rememdies, chief executive rememdies.

The third is that this person is clearly a danger to the citizens in Sussex County and could be a danger to himself. His apocalyptic visions of tryanny and police states demonstrate either symptoms of PTSD or some other disorder. While delusion is not specifically covered as a fundamental right, we must all agree that everyone has a right to be delusional. However, that right ends at their own cerebral cortex. When it intrudes and impacts reality it is necessary to evaluate the individual to determine whether we are at risk from his delusions.

Each of these issues have solutions and we should not lump them together in one bag. HB 290 (under another number) is first. Second is a recall constitutional ammendment. Third is a means of mandating mental health evaluation as a condition of remaining in office.

In the meantime, keep your all your doors locked and if you encounter one of these, …. well whatever name you want to give them, immediately call 911 and get a real cop on the scene before someone gets hurt.

Dave: On your first issue, this purported “ambiguity” bothered exactly nobody until Sussex residents went publicly nuts a few years back. As I keep asking, and nobody down there can answer, what is broken that requires this fixing?

Right-wingers in this country have clearly gone round the bend. This obsessive bullshit about the Constitution, any Constitution (resorting to bylaws is always the sign that someone has no popular support for their positions); the insistence that only hard-right conservatives can win elections for Republicans (which shows how stupid they are about the real reason they get elected at all, which boils down to gerrymandered districts and voter suppression); the convenient reading of “history” to back up their obviously ahistorical notions (eg, the fiction that the Founding Fathers were Christian).

The problem in this country is that one of its two politcal parties has gone starkers, and none of the people who run the mainstream media will dare write the truth about it.

“The problem in this country is that one of its two politcal parties has gone starkers”

Which has been a highly successful strategy for Republicans. By going so extreme, they have sucked Democrats rightward into supporting the failed but slightly-less-starkers Republican positions of only a few years ago.

Well played, Republicans.

Of course if the new extremity ever penetrates voter consciousness, the GOP risks being routed out of its remaining offices. That’s where the media comes in.

I don’t think my theory is going to help Christopher though. Sussex is just nuts.

It is true that one party has gone starkers. Still, you must remember the time when the GOP was a responsible party? Sure there were disagreements but overall, they behaved responsibly out of a desire to govern effectively. What has happened is less about the GOP going starkers than it is that the GOP was hijacked, through neglect maybe, by those who are starkers. They hold the name GOP, but they might as well call themselves the Apocalypse Now Party.

There are some who are conservative and responsible but they no longer hold any influence in the party. The swelling ranks of the Independents are not from the Domocratic Party rather they are the disaffected Republicans who can no longer tolerate the whack jobs and do not want to be associated with a party that has the likes of this sheriff as their mascot.

As to your question “bothered exactly nobody until Sussex residents went publicly nuts a few years back. As I keep asking, and nobody down there can answer, what is broken that requires this fixing?”

Nothing is broken that requires fixing down here. There are some broken people and we need to make it clear to protect ourselves from those broken people. I want the ambiguity fixed because the sheriff wants to protect me from the federales and that’s the problem – quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

These wackos sound too much like a Saturday Night Live Skit. A member of the “Patriot” movement supporting Christopher used the precedent of THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM to support the argument that sheriffs are ordained by god to fight tyranny.

What has happened is less about the GOP going starkers than it is that the GOP was hijacked, through neglect maybe, by those who are starkers.

Hijacked? Wrong. Those reasonable Republicans you lament handed the Tea Party control on a silver platter. Oh, it was all fun and useful while these nuts tore into liberals and Democrats. It was simply delightful when these “reasonable” Republicans said nothing while the Tea Party questioned our President’s birth certificate and his religion. It was worth a chuckle when they started scream socialism and “You lie.”

Sorry, Dave. Your party wasn’t hijacked. You, and other “reasonable” Republicans gave it away. Too bad your useful idiots are no longer useful to you, but you had a good run.

I wrote about this in November 2009 and with snark in May 2009. There are other posts I’ve written on this very subject, but I don’t have time to look for them at the moment.

Needless to say, the GOP was not hijacked. Not one little bit. Reasonable Republicans gift wrapped their party and handed it these nuts. Sorry again, but I blame “reasonable” Republicans the most. This is your monster, Dr. Frankenstein.

I am not, nor have I been a Republican for over 40 years. In fact, I am not all that certain I was ever registered as a Republican. I just seem to recall that I was. It’s not my party. I am an Independent.

So you are not one of those Independents who until recently was a “disaffected Republicans who can no longer tolerate the whack jobs and do not want to be associated with a party that has the likes of this sheriff as their mascot.”

Whether or not you’re a Republican doesn’t matter, Dave – and sorry if I offended you. The point is: Reasonable Republicans own every inch of this mess. Do not make excuses for them. Their party wasn’t hijacked when their back was turned – they gave it away. Willingly.

“So you are not one of those Independents who until recently was a “disaffected Republicans who can no longer tolerate the whack jobs and do not want to be associated with a party that has the likes of this sheriff as their mascot.”

That is correct. Those are other Indpendents. I am anti whack job regardless of their political persuasion. In California, Virginia, and other states I was registered as an Independent. In Delaware, I’m registered as “Unaffliated” as if I have some kind of disease.

As you are aware, I have been drawn into a dispute with the Sussex County Council over the County’s efforts to seriously limit the ability of the Sheriff’s office to perform the duties entrusted to me and my deputies by the people of Sussex County and by the Delaware Constitution. Although I have tried to seek a reasonable outcome, the response of those people who wish to suppress the ability of the Sheriff’s office to do the people’s will has been a failed legislative effort to statutorily neutralize the powers of my office. Further, Attorney General Biden recently has issued an opinion that, based on questionable authority, attempts to further strip the Sheriff’s office of its Constitutionally granted power. The time has come to take further action. The Legacy Foundation, an Iowa-based tax-exempt organization, has taken a strong interest in this matter and wishes to further support me in my efforts to solidify the role of the Sheriff’s office in Sussex County. If you wish to contribute to this effort, please visit the Legacy Foundation’s dedicated webpage at http://legacyfoundation.us/​sussex/ to make a charitable contribution via the internet. If you wish to send a check payable to The Legacy Foundation, please send it to my attorneys Niles, Barton & Wilmer, LLP, c/o Leslie J. Williams, 111 S. Calvert Street, Suite 1400, Baltimore MD 21202. Thank you, as always, for your support.”

In your service,
Sheriff Jeff Christopher

So I wonder who’s paying all these legal bills and how much of this money is ending up in his pockets.

to defend 2 AZ sheriffs Dever and Babeau – Before it came out the Babeau had a undocumented mexican male lover and had threstened the lover with deportation if he didnt keep quiet

this was after wing-nut welfare (that has a nice ring Jason, thanks) had put out $200,00 for their defense .

Im wondering if this defense/support of an elected official violates their 501 3 c status?

whats the number of the IRS tip line??

what gets me is these folks with wing-nut welfare rail against their landlord that ownhe mobile home parks in which they live, yet hand out money forthese causes.

Most of them have neither a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out of yet think corporate greed and the 1% are fine,except the 1% that hold their notes or the governmentthat supports them

talk about a dichotomy of thought process. It must be why they r always angry….they try to process the logic in their belief system and r driven insane…its the Sheriff thats gonna evict them for non-payment.

This is great news! Pressing on the legislative front is obviously the appropriate strategy, but just as important is to keep the issue in the public eye so that the public is informed about the person and his beliefs.

Hopefully he will file a lawsuit either in state or federal court so this can play out on the front pages so that folks will see that we are the company we keep.

I am very pleased that the sheriff has upped the ante.

Who’d a thunk it was going to get this exciting in lower slower! Boy, I’m glad I moved here!

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